A New Beginning
by Lion-Hitch
Summary: Something unexpected, Something painful, Something comforting...It all there. AshxTasteful-OC. Lemons in later chapters. Story better than summary.In Progress. Updates should come moderately fast.


**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Ash or Pokemon or any of that Jazz...But the OC is mine...mine I tell you. O.O**

Ash sighed and glanced ahead through half-lidded eyes. His hair was dripping wet, his hat and beloved friend gone, and his body bloody…The ground beneath him was so cold… It just didn't get better than this, did it?

The day had started normally…It'd been sunny, as always with pikachu on his shoulder; a slight breeze had added to the peaceful effect. They'd left the pokecenter that morning, completely rested and full of energy. Ash had heard rumors of the journey through the forest between this town and the next being a bit perilous, but he hadn't worried. He was seventeen now and figured that he had plenty of experience in the world of pokemon. He had who-knew-how-many badges and had defeated countless rivals. He'd always come out on top. There'd never been any _reason_ to worry. Looks like reality finally decided to come knocking.

The first few miles into the thick brush had been okay with minimal thorns or briar and only a couple wild pokemon. He'd had the option of taking a small plane only two days later but he'd been in a hurry. His mom had made a special trip to come see him in the next town and the sooner he got there, the more time they'd be able to spend together. He was missing his mother more and more lately and of course, had been eager to move ahead rather than wait. His backpack had minimal supplies for the two day walk. He always packed light and along with pikachu on his shoulder, he figured he didn't need the extra weight pulling him down. He wanted to be full of energy. Hell, he'd even run all the way to the next town. The thought had crossed his mind a few times and had made him smile. His mother had always commented on his gung-ho attitude.

He figured he was around a fourth of the way through the forest when it was around noon. The trees criss-crossed over his head and not much light spilled through, so he was thankful for his watch. Pikachu was skittish, but he figured it was because of the darkness. It had always hated being in a pokeball and even now darkness seemed to bother it.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. I think I remember seeing a clearing around this area on that map that Dawn forced me to look at before leaving. If she was so worried, she should've come with us. She's such a wimp. Of course, she didn't want to get her _stylish_ new skirt _dirty_." He said the words mockingly and forced a chuckle. "Brock probably would've gone if I had bothered him a bit more, but he really did have his eye on that young nurse at the PokeCenter. Hell, maybe he'll finally get lucky." His ramblings did nothing to comfort the mouse-like pokemon but its grip on his shoulder did relax a bit. Ash still continued forward with little difficulty.

He'd been walking only a few more hours when, just as he'd predicted, they came across a small clearing. Ash chuckled as Pikachu let out a gleeful cry. It hopped down and scampered across the clearing, the pollen from a few of the larger flowers sticking to its short fur.

Ash spread his arms wide and took a deep breath. "How about we rest here for a while, eh? Let's eat!" He swung his backpack off his shoulders and pikachu ran up, as anxious for a break as he was. It was no-time before they'd devoured all the food in the pack; basically a few pieces of fruit and some granola bars. Ash rubbed his forehead regretfully and chuckled. "Well, I hope that lasts… We don't have anything left but a couple sour pokeblocks!"

Pikachu let out an indifferent "Pika!" and a small yawn.

"I agree," Ash chuckled and leaned back into the tall grass they'd been sitting in. Pikachu grunted and moved to curl up against his side. They were both out in no-time.

A thick shriek jerked Ash awake. Then Silence…

"What the-," his question was cut off by the horrid sight that met his eyes. The light around him was slowly dissipating, but he could still see that the grass around him was blood drenched and pikachu was gone. Grass rustled a few meters to his right and he sat up timidly. Dark red eyes met his and he trembled.

A large houndoom rose from the grass and growled deeply, blood covering its jaw. What was wrong with it? Why were it's eyes red...and why was there blood on its….

_Pikachu..._

No…Pikachu was too tough for that… It would've put up a fight and alerted him…It would've given him time to help it… It…. It had been asleep…

"NO!" Ash felt warm tears come to his eyes as he lunged at the dog-like pokemon angrily. "YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Ash screamed and bit his lip angrily. Was this really happening? Was pikachu really gone? He couldn't focus and his thoughts were scattered. He couldn't get a grip on reality.

He didn't have any of his other pokemon with him. He'd stupidly told the nurse at the pokecenter just to send them straight to the next town and when she'd objected he'd insisted… He'd been too cocky… He'd been too full of himself. Why had this time been different than all the others? How had it come to this?

In the moment Ash hesitated to mourn his friend, the houndoom pounced. It slammed into Ash with enough force to knock the breath out of him and he struggled to breathe. He lifted his arms to get a hold on the pokemon's throat but with one powerful jerk of its head, he lost his grip. His eyes blurred and he screamed in frustration. The houndoom growled darkly again and clamped its sharp canines onto Ash's forearm.

"GYAAH!" Ash shrieked and he saw stars. He felt blood drench his shirtsleeve. He bit his lip and tasted blood. He would not go down like this; If not for himself then for Pikachu. He would not let it down more than he already had. There was no doubt in Ash's mind that Pikachu had tried to protect him, so now he had to avenge it's death.

Ash grunted and threw himself forward all at once, the houndoom's jaw loosening then backing off completely. He slammed his elbow into its thick chest and it huffed and rolled on top of him, ripping its teeth across his side: The sharp canines drawing blood wherever they touched.

His vision blurred once more, the adrenaline running low. His arms flailed wildly, barely having an effect on the growling, angry beast on top of him. It once more latched onto his arm with its razor-like teeth. Ash let himself scream freely and once more tried pushing himself against the animal, the end of his pocketknife digging into his side. His eyes widened and he grunted. He knew what he had to do, no matter how much the thought made his stomach turn. No matter the fact that this monster had killed his best friend… He still didn't want to do it… Yet, he still had no choice.

His free arm reached into his pocket and wrapped tightly around the hilt of the knife, as he popped the small blade out. He let out a scream as warm tears ran down his face.

"You Bastard!"

The houndoom's body went slack against his own and relinquished the vice-like grip it'd had on his wrist. Ash opened his eyes through the pain and looked down. The pocket knife was embedded in the animal's head and its eyes were blank and bloodshot.

It's body was hot.

It'd been sick.

Ash gasped and shoved the body of the houndoom to the side quickly. His shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

"No…No…I'm sorry…" Ash reached up to rub his eyes, only to smear blood across his face. His arms stung and his side was ravished. His hair was damp with the crimson liquid and sweat. He didn't even know what had happened to his hat. He didn't even care anymore.

Ash looked at the sky with blank eyes and felt warm liquid run down his cheeks.

_Blood? ...No…Tears…_

He felt empty. He felt like a failure. What had happened to him?

Ash trembled and struggled to get to his feet. He needed to get away from the small, blood-stained meadow. He needed to close his eyes. He needed to just…stop.

He'd only made it a few steps into the opposite tree-line when he collapsed. The sky had darkened to almost black and he could barely see. The temperature seemed to drop by the minute and the huge blood-loss on his part didn't do much to warm his body.

The air grew sharp as he lay against the trunk of a tree. Small drops of water assaulted the ground.

_Good…Maybe I'll drown…_

Puddles formed around him and he vaguely could feel the blood and grime being cleansed from his skin, only to be replaced with a chilling purity that only spring rain could bring.

_Let me die…._

Ash's body went slack and he slid to the ground, chest down. His eyes fluttered closed and his world went black….but his escape was not quite that simple.

"Hey!" A bright voice stirred ash from his daze. His body was sore and his heart hurt, but he mustered the strength to open his eyes.

"What the HELL is that back there? Who do you think you are! Did you do that to that poor houndoom! WHO ARE YOU?" A thin-figured girl with bright, lemon-colored hair who looked around sixteen stood in front of him. Her eyes were a bright jade and her curly hair framed her sun-tanned face perfectly. She wore a short pair of denim shorts and a bright orange bikini top showing off her heavily-asseted chest. A tye-dye patterned bandana covered her forehead and a small amount of her seemingly-untamable hair. She wore shin-length hiking boots and her posture hinted at anger.

"And why are you so scratched up? You're bloody as hell! Why not defeat it like a real trainer with some pokemon? Huh? Why'd you have to kill the damn thing? Do you know who has to clean that up? Me neither, but it's certainly not gonna be me. This is probably illegal! Why, I should-!" Her words were cut off as Ash's body began to shake with silent sobs. Tears welled up and his hands clenched at his sides. With his chest to the ground, he buried his face in the grass and whispered apologies.

"So…So sorry…. N…No pokemon…except for… for… It….killed…. Urmmnn…" His breath hitched and he clutched his side.

The girl's foot then dug itself into his back and Ash gasped. "You're going to talk, and you're going to talk _now_." Her voice was harsh and his vision clouded.

"Pikachu…" His voice cracked and the girl's foot seemed to disappear. He was promptly rolled over, against the cry he uttered as the pain in his side flared.

"That torn up little body was a pikachu? It was yours? Ohmygod… The houndoom…it…. _Ohmygod_, I'm so sorry." Her voice sounded regretful.

_So Pikachu didn't make it…_

"Stay here! I'm going to get help! I'm so, so sorry! I didn't know! You did what you had to do… It…It's not your fault! WAIT, don't pass out, okay? Stay awake. Stay Awake. I'll be back!" The girl's voice drifted into nothing and Ash coughed, blood running down the side of his cheek. His hair had grown pretty long and now his bangs reached a bit past his eye lids. He was glad for this because his thick ashen hair blocked the sun from his eyes.

_So warm now…so warm…_

He must've dozed off because he awoke to the sound of twigs breaking around him. The girl was leaning over him with a stern look.

"I told you _not_ to fall asleep, stupid." She flicked his nose and he winced.

"Machop! Charizard!" She threw a couple pokeballs into the air and the two well-known pokemon appeared on either side of Ash.

"We have not-so-precious cargo! Handle him carefully back to the house! I'll meet you guys back there!" She turned to sprint into the woods.

"Wait….ehr….," Ash's voice faded and his vision went black as the two larger pokemon delicately lifted him off of the cold ground.

_Is that music?_

A thin, tinkling sound awoke him.

_Bells?_

The rustling of leaves signified wind and the soft chime increased in tempo.

_No….wind chimes…_

Ash made a move to sit up but winced and dropped his head back to the pillow. His body, he knew, was ravaged. His mind was foggy from sleep, He was about to huff when he realized he had nothing on but his boxers, but the sound died in his throat. Slowly the memories of the… incident… rushed back to him. Suddenly, he felt as if the physical pain wasn't quite so bad… the pain in his heart far outweighed it. He grimaced and sat up abruptly, the rips in his side instantly opening, blood beginning to seep from the wounds in generous amounts. He deserved the pain. He'd failed pikachu. He'd been arrogant.

Ash's head hung as he wrapped his arms around himself, focusing on the release the physical pain was giving him.

_If it hurts badly enough, then I don't feel anything else… _

"Oh, hey Sleepyhe-What the HELL? Why are you sitting up? FUCK! You're bleeding again! Why'd you sit up? Huh, Dumbass? How undeniably STUPID!" The thin girl's harsh voice brought him out of his self-pitying stupor. He hadn't heard her soft footsteps when she'd walked in. As she'd been yelling, she had moved to stand next to him and glare down at him disapprovingly.

_She'd put a sailor to shame with her language…_

"LOOK at me when I'm talking to you, thank you very much!" With that, her hand grabbed his chin forced him to meet her eyes… Something she instantly regretted given the look on her face. Her eyes widened and her face softened to an almost piteous expression.

"You look…so …broken…" She mused quietly.

Ash only heard part of what she said, but didn't absorb it. He could barely keep up with what his own being was feeling.

"What's your name?" She whispered, nodding her head to a slight tilt.

His lips parted as if he were to answer, but the only sound that escaped his lips was a soft whimper.

_Ash…My name is Ash…. Kill me…._

She huffed and turned abruptly, releasing her grip on his chin.

Ash let his eyes drift closed as he listened silently to the girl's footsteps. It was only a few moments later that he heard her approach slowly.

"Here…Drink this…" A soft hand touched his cheek. He let his head be tilted back and he felt the cold rim of a glass being pressed against his mouth. He let his lips part and a cool, bitter liquid seeped down his throat.

"Its lemonade, but I mixed in some pain-killing herbs. You probably need it." Her voice was as smooth as her hands, something Ash didn't fail to notice, even in his mixed-up state. "Can you speak now?" She added.

Ash's eyes fluttered open, if only for a moment, and he whispered hoarsely, "Ash…My name…its Ash."

"Well," She said, removing her hand from his cheek and turning away, "my name is Peke. I swear, it scared the living hell out of me when I saw that poor Houndoom's body…I was even more freaked when I saw the condition you were in. It's a wonder you're alive. You probably lost enough blood to feed six Zubats for a week." She tsked and started rummaging around in a cardboard box on a table across the room. The warm feeling of her hand still lingered on his cheek.

Ash, after giving up on trying to follow what the girl had been rambling on about, glanced around the room slowly, being careful not to move his head. The bed's cover and sheets were all stitched in various tribal or exotic designs. The floor was wooden with various thatch rugs and the walls were a dark wood as well. The main light source was a large window that took up a whole wall. A dresser and a table, both covered with various bits-and-pieces of times past, took up the left wall. The right wall was blank with just a glass door, and large watercolor paintings of wild pokemon hung on the wall the bed was positioned against. It was very…homey.

"So…Hey, are you even listening to me?"

Ash's gaze was averted back to the thin girl, now standing with her hands on her hips across the room. He had figured the question was aimed to just to catch his attention and didn't bother answering. Peke rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before walking towards him with a small pouch.

Ash watched her and for a small moment, he let his mind drift away from the pain over losing his best friend. He felt his boxers tighten as he noticed how well-endowed Peke really was. Her tanned skin seemed to glow in the soft mid-day light streaming into the room and her golden hair shimmered. The way she walked was on the edge of sultry, but also more graceful than any dancer Ash had seen. Her legs had small scars and a few bruises.

_Probably from all her running through the forest around here. She seemed to know what she was doing when she raced ahead after she found me._

His gaze moved from her legs upward to examine the small shorts she wore.

_Damn…_

With just the low-rise, cut-off shorts and the bright bikini top, he was free to examine how her toned abs and large chest only made her more beautiful…not to mention how her sex appeal sky rocketed.

A soft sound much like a chuckle escaped his lips as his gaze traveled further upward…only to find that her cheeks were beet red and her body was rigid. Ash hadn't noticed, but as soon as his gaze had stopped at her breasts, she'd realized what he was doing…and honestly, Peke had never had someone look at her like that before. Of course, she'd known what the look meant. She wasn't naïve. She'd been into town, but she'd always been dressed more appropriately. She'd always been covered and bland. But now… Why would he be looking at her like that? She could tell by his eyes and the way he held himself that he wasn't the type to take advantage of anybody. He wasn't a bad person… But then again… He was a man.

She huffed loudly and crossed her arms over her chest.

"See something you like, hmm?"

Ash smirked and lazily moved his gaze to stare into hers. He almost let himself gasp as he lost himself in her bright, jade eyes.

Although his small smile didn't waver, she did notice the soft change in his eyes.

"You're beautiful…That's all." He croaked.

She seemed to take this in for a moment then brushed the comment off as if he'd never said anything. "Just don't over-exert yourself, stupid. I made my poor pokemon drag you here so you better be a good boy and do what I want… and what I want is for you to rest. Understood?"

Ash simply stared at her for a moment and then slowly nodded.

"Yes…But-" Ash mentally cursed himself when his voice broke from the sudden sharp pain he felt. He grabbed his side and doubled over. "Nyaa…" Was all he could manage before the pain spread and he coughed harshly. A thin stream of blood dripped from his mouth and down his chin.

"Shit!" He heard her exclaim loudly. Her soft footsteps ended abruptly at his side and he felt her hands begin to unwrap the bandages he hadn't noticed before. She put a hand on his back when she was finished. "Now, sit up and take a deep breath. I think one of your ribs is out of place." Ash did as she said but then cringed as the pain increased…then, accompanied by a loud _pop_, slowly ebbed away. His breathing was harsh and he still felt blood welling up in the back of his throat.

"Nnnn-" Ash tried to speak but succeeded in only making more blood flow from his mouth.

"Your throat is all scratched up…probably from screaming or coughing too much… Now that your rib is back in place it'll be easier to breath…but sit up for a bit longer so you don't choke on your own blood. And for the love of Pete, stop trying to speak. I don't give a shit what you have to say." As Peke spoke, her hands once more moved softly over his skin, loosely replacing the bandages she'd removed to make it easier for him to breath.

Ash nodded slowly and moved his gaze to stare up at her determined face. Her eyes were large and she wore no make-up…not that she needed any. Her skin was soft and flawless; her nose lightly freckled from the sun. Her lips were a light pink and Ash had to force himself not to reach up and touch them. He wanted to know how soft they were, but after a second thought, he realized that Peke would probably kill him if he did so.

Her hair fell over her shoulders and as she leaned to inspect his side more closely, it brushed against his shoulder. Ash couldn't help the whimper that escaped his lips.

Peke jerked up at the sound and stared down at him. "You okay?" she asked incredulously.

Ash nodded half-heartedly and swallowed the blood that had slowly been gathering in his mouth.

"The blood should clot soon and after that you'll be able to lie back… Wait a second." She turned towards the small pack she'd had lying on the edge of the bed.

"Here," she spoke softly before patting a damp cloth over his face, cleaning away the blood that had been on his chin and cooling his hot forehead.

Ash suddenly felt drained and he felt his eyes flutter against his will. He fought to stay conscious but instead his form slumped and he felt Peke's hand on his back and the other against his chest, easing him down to the mattress.

"Easy, Ash. You'll be fine." Her voice wrapped around him like a warm blanket and his heart felt less heavy. "I'm here." One of her hands caressed his cheek lightly and his skin tingled.

"Thank you." He whispered hoarsely. Ash let the small amount of consciousness he had left drift away.

Ash's dreams were what one could describe as scattered and tragic.

As any mourning trainer would do, Ash dreamt of pikachu. The scene with the houndoom replayed and replayed. One would think this would only hurt Ash more, but it did, indeed, aid him in his healing...

**Reviews? I tink yes. ;3 pweez and thank you.**  
><strong>(And don't worry...This isn't the end of the story... Woo!)<strong>


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